In this series, we follow Ian Furby as he continues his story of circumnavigating Great Britain in an 18ft speedboat Having made it from Yorkshire to South Wales in just five days aboard his 18ft open sportsboat, Ian Furby pushes on up the West Coast of Ireland in his bid to circumnavigate Britain in less than 12 days. Make sure you catch up on the rest of Ian’s circumnavigation: Runswick Bay to Harwich Harwich to Brixham Brixham to Milford Haven Day 6: 15 June – Milford Haven to Dún Laoghaire, 125NM The alarm was set for 3.30am but I didn’t need it as I was awake and watching the stars grow ..read more

In this series, we follow Ian Furby as he continues his story of circumnavigating Great Britain in an 18ft speedboat Having made it from Yorkshire to Brixham in his 18ft Nordkapp with the help of a friend during the first stage of his UK circumnavigation, and then from Runswick Bay, Yorkshire, to Harwich, Essex, in just one day, Ian Fruby now goes it alone to the Scilly Isles and South Wales. The route Day 4: 13 June Brixham to Scilly Isles, 140nm We’d made it from Yorkshire to Brixham in just three days but now my friend and crew mate Harty had to get back home, leaving me to push on alone ..read more

Having made it from Runswick Bay, Yorkshire, to Harwich, Essex, in just one day, Ian Furby continues his attempt to circumnavigate Britain in his 18ft Nordkapp speedboat I’ve been involved with boats for more than 30 years. In my 20s, I was an avid wreck diver and for several years I was both crew and a helm on the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat. I have my yacht coastal skipper’s certificate and various other powerboat licences. I own a Nordkapp Enduro 550 called Summer Buoys that I bought in 2015 for £25,000. It is 18ft long and powered by a 115hp Evinrude ETEC outboard engine. For the most boatin ..read more

In this new series, we follow Ian Furby as he sets off circumnavigating Great Britain in an 18ft speedboat I am fifty-three and a half years old, a proud Yorkshireman and a self-confessed boat addict. Thankfully, I have a very understanding family who share (or at least put up with) my passion. I’ve been involved with boats for more than 30 years. In my 20s, I was an avid wreck diver and for several years I was both crew and a helm on the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat. I have my yacht coastal skipper’s certificate and various other powerboat licences. I own a Nordkapp Enduro 550 called Summer Buoy ..read more

MBY columnist, used boat expert and Jeanneau 805 Leader owner Nick Burnham reveals what he’d like to buy next… Being MBY’s technical contributor and owner of a rather well-known boating YouTube channel, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the question I get asked the most is ‘what will your next boat be?’ To which the answer is always a well practised explanation of how happy we are with our 26ft Jeanneau 805 Leader, the cost benefits of its single engine and compact size and its general manageability. All of which is completely true, but it’s also true that if a house renovation wasn’t consuming ..read more

There are plenty of cool boats out there, but only the world's coolest boats make it into our hall of fame. Here are the icons who have made the cut so far... Each month our resident expert of cool Nick Burnham picks out an iconic boat that can lay claim to the title of world’s coolest boat. What makes a boat cool can very enormously from boat to boat. We’ve featured a world speed record holder, an iconic TV series star, an incredible superyacht and one of the most important models from the back catalogue of one of the most prominent British manufacturers. The list below is a work in progress ..read more

Taking off is fairly easy, and I was able to get some brilliant footage of the boat under way. All that remained was to land it… Elation as Nick gets his drone (and its important memory card) back Over a decade ago, I entered the scary world of self employment. Like any business, some ideas worked and some didn’t. I had a brilliant idea for syndicating boat test articles. It made no sense, I reasoned, for magazines in different countries to each send one person to do a review when I could write and photograph a boat test and sell it as a complete package worldwide for translation. I’d sell it ..read more

The 2023 Motor Boat Awards will be celebrated in style at a live gala dinner during the 2023 Boot Düsseldorf boat show. After pivoting to a virtual awards ceremony for the last two years, the MBY team were determined to put on a proper live show again to celebrate the best that the leisure boating industry has to offer. Thanks to the support of long-term sponsors Sleipner, the 2023 Motor Boat Awards has now been confirmed for the evening of Tuesday 24 January at the Hotel Kö59 Düsseldorf. The judging process is already underway for the eight categories of boats, with the shortlist of fin ..read more

Nick Burnham explains why his boating playlist keeps his spirits up, even when he’s miles away from his boat The year I bought Smuggler’s Blues – 2014 – was all about getting everything shipshape. New bilge pumps went in, nav lights repaired, expired fire extinguishers changed and so on. Last year, with the brunt of the necessary work done, the spending didn’t stop (the spending never stops), but the purchases were rather more fun. Without doubt the single most brilliant thing that has brought the most pleasure to life aboard Smuggler’s Blues is a marine stereo. A Kenwood KMR-440U, it’s a com ..read more

Join Heidi Hasler as she takes her Sealine C330 from Brixham to the Mediterranean via the French canals So my first article has been published in the June 2018 issue of MBY – how exciting! To say I’m pleased with myself is an understatement. To make life even more interesting, I have been asked to write about Chilaxin’s upcoming trip across the channel, into the French waterways, and down to the Mediterranean sea in this blog. We intend for the trip to take around 5-6 weeks – to allow us to stop in a few places and actually appreciate some of the beautiful towns and villages on the way. &nbs ..read more